Former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair met convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein at Downing Street in 2002 following lobbying from Lord Peter Mandelson, newly released documents have revealed.
The meeting took place six years before Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor, with a memo from senior civil servant Sir Matthew Rycroft briefing the then-Labour leader about the “super-rich” financier ahead of their encounter.
The documents were released by the National Archives under Freedom of Information legislation following Lord Mandelson’s sacking as US ambassador in September after it emerged he had maintained a close relationship with Epstein even after the financier’s criminal convictions.
In a memo marked ‘R’ for restricted and dated 14 May 2002, Rycroft wrote to Blair: “Jeffrey Epstein is seeing you at 5pm today. He is a financial adviser to the super-rich and a property developer. He is a friend of Bill Clinton and Peter Mandelson.”
The memo continued: “The background on Epstein is that he is very rich and close to the Duke of York. Peter says that Epstein now travels with Clinton and Clinton wants you to meet him. He thinks you would find worthwhile a conversation with him about a) science and b) international economic and monetary trends.”
A spokesperson for Sir Tony told the BBC: “As far as he can remember, Mr Blair met with him for less than 30 minutes in Downing Street in 2002, and discussed US and UK politics. He never met or engaged with him subsequently.”
The spokesperson added: “This was, of course, long before his crimes were known of and his subsequent conviction.
Emails seen by the BBC show Lord Mandelson actively pushed for the meeting, telling Blair’s chief of staff Jonathan Powell that Epstein was “a friend of mine” whom former US President Bill Clinton hoped to introduce to the Prime Minister.
In an email to Powell, who is now the current UK government’s National Security Adviser, Lord Mandelson referred to Epstein as “safe”. The email dated 7 May 2002 states: “Do you remember when Clinton saw TB [Tony Blair] he said he wanted to introduce his travelling friend, Jeffrey Epstein, to TB?”
Lord Mandelson explained: “This was frustrated, TB said at the time, in the office for reasons (he says) he was unclear about. I think TB would be interested in meeting Jeffrey, who is also a friend of mine, because Jeffrey is an active scientific catalyst/entrepreneur as well as someone who has his finger on the pulse of many worldwide markets and currencies.”
The peer described Epstein as “young and vibrant” and stated: “He is safe (whatever that means) and Clinton is now doing a lot of travelling with him.
The email continued: “I mentioned to TB that Jeffrey is in London next week and he said he would like to meet him. I have ascertained from Jeffrey that he is flexible, he could be here any time from Tuesday onwards to fit round the diary.”
The BBC reports there are three separate handwritten notes on the email print-out, much of which is illegible, though one questions Blair on whether he wants to proceed with the meeting, adding: “I know very little more about him.
At the time, Lord Mandelson was a backbench MP for Hartlepool, having resigned twice from Cabinet roles under Blair’s government. Despite being out of government, he remained a powerful force within the Labour Party.
Former US President Bill Clinton has previously acknowledged being a former associate of Epstein but has denied any knowledge of his crimes. Clinton’s office has not commented on the newly released documents regarding the attempted introduction to Blair.
The release of these documents and several related files was previously blocked by government officials due to fears it would damage relations between the UK and the United States. They were only made public following Lord Mandelson’s dismissal as US ambassador.
Lord Mandelson was sacked by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on 11 September 2025 after Bloomberg published more than 100 previously unreported emails between Epstein and Mandelson revealing the depth of their relationship.
The emails showed Lord Mandelson had maintained contact with Epstein after his 2008 conviction, expressing steadfast support even as the financier faced jail time for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
In a particularly damning email sent the day before Epstein reported to a Florida jail in June 2008, Lord Mandelson wrote: “I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened. Your friends stay with you and love you.”
He urged Epstein to “be incredibly resilient, fight for early release and be philosophical about it as much as you can,” adding suggestions that Epstein should use strategies from Sun Tzu’s Art of War to fight back against the charges.
In another email, Lord Mandelson offered to discuss Epstein’s legal predicament with one or more of his contacts, though it remains unclear whom he spoke with or about what specifically.
The Foreign Office stated that the emails showed “the depth and extent of Lord Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment” as ambassador.
“In particular, Lord Mandelson’s suggestion that Jeffrey Epstein’s first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged is new information,” the statement continued, announcing his removal with immediate effect.
Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a person under the age of 18. He served 13 months of an 18-month sentence under a controversial plea deal with Florida prosecutors that has since been widely criticised.
The billionaire financier died in a New York prison in August 2019 whilst awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Officials ruled his death a suicide, though the circumstances sparked numerous conspiracy theories.
Sir Matthew Rycroft, who wrote the 2002 briefing memo for Blair, served as permanent secretary at the Home Office until March 2025, making him one of Britain’s most senior civil servants for many years.
The revelation that Blair met Epstein at Downing Street adds to the growing list of powerful figures who had contact with the disgraced financier during the years before his crimes became public knowledge.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, was forced to step back from official royal duties over his association with Epstein. The prince has consistently denied any wrongdoing but faced intense criticism over his friendship with the convicted sex offender.
A 2003 “birthday book” for Epstein released by US lawmakers earlier this year included messages from Lord Mandelson describing the financier as his “best pal” and included photographs of the two men together.
One message stated: “Once upon a time, an intelligent, sharp-witted man they call ‘mysterious’ parachuted into my life,” alongside images showing the pair in various social settings.
Following his sacking, Lord Mandelson expressed “profound” regret for his association with Epstein, describing him as a “charismatic criminal liar” whom he should never have befriended.
“I regret very much that I fell for his lies. I fell and accepted assurances that he had given me about his indictment, his original criminal case in Florida,” Mandelson said in a podcast interview published shortly before his dismissal.
He claimed he never witnessed Epstein committing any crimes and insisted the financier never offered him any inappropriate introductions to women.
Prime Minister Starmer initially defended Lord Mandelson’s appointment on 10 September, telling Parliament: “I have confidence in him, and he is playing an important role in the UK-US relationship.”
However, after Bloomberg published the full extent of the emails the following day, Starmer reversed course and asked the Foreign Secretary to withdraw Mandelson as ambassador.
A Downing Street spokesman described the emails as “reprehensible” when pressed on the Prime Minister’s reaction to their contents.
The sacking proved deeply embarrassing for Starmer, coming just days before US President Donald Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom. Lord Mandelson had been instrumental in securing a trade deal between the UK and US earlier in 2025.
Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of poor judgement, stating: “There are now serious questions over what Starmer knew and when. Mandelson might have gone but, just as with Angela Rayner, Starmer dithered when he needed to be decisive.
The revelations raise uncomfortable questions about the vetting process for senior diplomatic appointments and what information was available to government officials when Lord Mandelson was selected for the prestigious Washington posting.
Epstein’s crimes and his connections to powerful figures across politics, business and royalty have been the subject of intense scrutiny since his death. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and conspiracy charges and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
The newly released documents provide fresh insight into how Epstein cultivated relationships with influential figures during the years before his criminal behaviour became public knowledge, using introductions from prominent associates like Clinton and Mandelson to gain access to the corridors of power.
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